Cheers ! photo of Gary Ansell by James Ansell	about Gary Ansell
	Toronto-born, Gary left there at age 18 to pursue an education and a career as a geologist and mineralogist. Since then, he has worked in nearly every part of Canada, mostly with the Geological Survey of Canada from their base in Ottawa. When he retired from the GSC in 1997, he and his wife Valerie moved to British Columbia, where they now enjoy the good life in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island. Gary dabbled sporadically with watercolours for several years, but on obtaining his first digital camera in 2000, concentrated on producing enhanced photographic work. His subject matter has included Vancouver Island scenery and studies of both cultivated and wild plants. He is an active member of the Nanaimo Arts Council, and his work has won several awards in NAC juried competitions.
Photographer's comments
My primary aim is to produce striking and beautiful artistic images, from large-scale scenery to the tiny delights found only by getting very close to nature. My photographs are not intended to have hidden interpretations - what you see is what you get. To my mind, the image is all - the method by which it achieves its final form is irrelevant to its intrinsic artistic merit. If necessary (and shamelessly), I will use computer tools to get the desired effect. Black and white photography is not my usual style - the emotional appeal of colour, no matter how muted, is important to my work. Mainly because I am lucky enough to live there, my particular focus is the Nanaimo area of Vancouver Island. With magnificent mountain, forest and seashore scenery, easily-accessible temperate rainforest full of a wide variety of large and small flora and fauna, and a climate amenable to year-round exploration, this region is very photographer-friendly. During my regular backwoods ramblings, I'm constantly encountering new vistas, infinite varieties of greenery and of course, fascinatin' fungi, foliage and flowers - all photogenic. I hope that you enjoy these images - it's a pleasure collecting, editing and sharing them.
	- photographs and digital art by Gary Ansell